We all knew that Biden had a serious life-long case of foot-mouth disease. The man cannot help but make guffaws. But this trip to Israel was to be a make nice party, a chance for the US and Israel to rekindle their strong friendship and worry about BIG PROBLEMS like Iran.

Israel announced on the eve of his visit that it was halting the project that was causing so much fuss in East Jerusalem – Sheik Jarrah hood. (Remember that fake Purim video purporting to be Jews celebrating with songs in praise of Baruch Goldstein?)

UPDATE – Apparently the remarks were in response to 1600 homes in Ramat Shlomo, Wiki writes :Ramat Shlomo was founded in 1995. As of 2000, it had a population of 18,000, mostly Haredi Jews. Ramat Shlomo borders Ramot to the west, Har Hotzvim to the south, and Shuafat to the east.

Apparently, that is all the “provocation” that was needed for Biden to dump a ton of rotten shwarma on Israel.

Leave it to Joe. This from the JTA:

Biden says Israeli housing starts ‘undermining’ trust

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Vice President Joe Biden denounced a decision to authorize new Jerusalem housing starts as “undermining the trust” that he needs to advance peace while in Israel.

“I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem,” Biden said in a statement issued Tuesday, the second day of a visit that had been aimed at underscoring the closeness of the U.S.-Israel relationship. “The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I’ve had here in Israel.”

Let me expand – Israel rules Jerusalem, and should be able to decide when and where it builds. The left wing in Israel fights these moves vehemently, thinking that these are “provocations.” We don’t need JOE coming to Israel and inserting himself into a debate among Israelis and btw Israel and it’s neighbors. If it’s wrong then let Israel make that choice. Who is Joe Biden to take some mythical moral high ground?

Last I checked, the USA was occupying BY FORCE two sovereign countries that do not border America, did not ask for American intervention, and would like America to leave – yet there we are enmeshed in a everl

asting occupation of foreign land. Even after Biden and Obama promised to stop the wars — there we are as occupiers as ever.

Now, that is assuming that this is a moral issue, although I am not convinced that it is. This is an issue of a sovereign nation making internal decisions. The enemies of Israel don’t want Israel to build anything anywhere because that shows that Israel owns that land.

The lands that Israel is building on in Jerusalem belonged to no sovereign nation. They were not annexed as part of Jordan. Israel conquered the territory in 1967 and made that part of the city of Jerusalem.